Amazing!

Hopefully this will be my last update on Joshua's weight issues....but it's a good one..
The power of prayer is just so amazing!!! Joshua's doctor called this morning regarding Joshua's stool test (which we had redone last friday) and amazingly there was NOT EVEN A TRACE of fat in his stool on this retest. So the whole reason for the panic of fat in his stool & malabsorption has just disappeared!! The doctor redid the test in the off chance that the first one was wrong but I don't think he expected to see all the fat completely gone. So I really have no explanation other than it's a God thing! So now the doctor actually just wants to wait 8 weeks to see what happens w/ Joshua's weight before doing anything else if they even do anything else. Praise God!

P.S. The picture is of Joshua pointing at a plane.

We were so blessed today to get to go take the Cystic Fibrosis test a whole week early!! And praise God that the test results came back normal!!! It's such a relief to have that out of the way. Now we have to figure out what else is going on with Joshua. We don't know which tests are next but I know that anything will be easier to handle now that the big scary test is out of the way.

In other news, Joshua has become quite the monkey. He is climbing all over everything and likes to pull things up to stand on to get to other things. I'm just praying that he will not start crawling out of his crib.

He is learning more and more words everyday. Right now he LOVES LOVES LOVES to call Riley. He can say Chester too but prefers to say...Riiiiilllleeeey!! Since that is how I say it to call Riley inside. He copies a lot of words that we say. Here is the word list that he can say that I can come up with on the top of my head: ball, balloon, Riley, Chester, Daddy, Mommy, apple, duck, hat, juice, book, blueberry, this, pat, up, bear...that is all I can think of...but he does mimic 50% of words that we say. You can also ask him what a dinosaur says and he will roar. He definitely understands 90% of what we say. We can ask him if he wants to go to Time Out and he very adamantly shakes his head NO! Oh...and I forgot one very important word - Bye bye!! Which he says ALLLLLL the time now. When I hang up the phone he says, bye-bye. He is just so precious.

Last thing...he now has 11 teeth. 4 top center, 2 lower center, 4 molars. Well, that is all the updates for now. Now for a really good nights sleep since my stress level has gone down!

Few updates...

Joshua is finally showing an interest in actually listening to me read books which makes me so happy. Because for months and months I've been reading to him while he just runs away or blabbers over me...so I love that now he will actually bring me a book and sit in my lap while I read it. He does get hung up on certain pages with prettier pictures than the next page but I'm just thrilled that he is interested. He will also sit on the floor by himself and just flip through them. So sweet. He is really interested in picture books - especially if there is a ball in there somewhere.

I've been working with Joshua A LOT on giving him a little more freedom and him not taking too much advantage of the freedom. For instance, we have had him baby gated out of the kitchen which is now down. He really loves getting to explore a new area and get into my Tupperware. So far he has been pretty good but we do have to pick up the dog/cat food during his waking hours. And now all my Tupperware has dog hair all over it because if you didn't know Tupperware is a magnet for dog hair.

The pic of Joshua surrounded by toys is Joshua getting into a bin of stuff that John was supposed to put in the attic. Joshua was just SOOOO proud of himself for his mischief.

In other news, we are waiting to get Joshua tested for Cystic Fibrosis due to his weight issues and some other test results. Waiting to find out if our son has Cystic Fibrosis is so very hard, scary, nerve wracking, etc...and is ANOTHER HUGE lesson in patience. God has tried to teach me this lesson so many times and I guess He thinks I just don't get it...cause I keep getting tested. I don't quite know how to feel about this big unknown. I feel like I'm on a roller coaster of emotions and absolutely hate that on top of it all I don't have my mom to lean on. I'm trying to just trust in God but I know that His plan might not always be what we want. I know that He will give us the strength to handle whatever comes our way but man, I really hope this isn't what he has in store for us. I teeter between feeling like this is just something the doctor has to rule out, thinking they are all just paranoid, or feeling just dread that the doctors wouldn't make Joshua go through this test if it wasn't a real possibility. **Sigh*** I know I would rather have something wrong with me a million times over than watch our son suffer.

If you don't know much about Cystic Fibrosis, I encourage you to learn because this has really given me a new compassion for the 30k people in the U.S that struggle with this disease and for the non-stop worry I'm sure it causes their families. Maybe, if nothing else a little awareness will lead to someone finding a cure for this horrible disease.

Anyways, hopefully in about 10 days I will be rejoicing that we are all in the clear and can finally get a good nights sleep.

15 Month Check Up

Well, I'm totally bummed because we thought that Joshua's weight was doing better but unfortunately it's not. He has lost weight and now is not even on the percentile chart for weight anymore - which means he is less than 3%. He did grow 2 inches and is in the 20th % on height but the weight is now a big problem. So after getting 4 different shots today he had to go get blood work done for further testing. Next week we have to go to a gastronologist (spelling). I'm anxious to hear what the blood work shows and hope that it's something really simple. Unfortunately, there can be some pretty serious issues and diseases associated with this weight problem that scare me to death but I'm trying REALLY hard NOT to think about them. Anyways, keep my little guy in your prayers. Otherwise, the doctor thought he was completely developmentally on target if not ahead - so at least that is good. So in the meantime, we will wait and see and hope for the best.

Back from the grammy & pa-pa's!

We just went for a trip to visit John's parents, Grammy & Pa-pa to celebrate Pa-pa's 60th birthday. It was a really nice time and a great opportunity to see lots of aunts, uncles, great aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. While we were there we went to the boardwalk and Joshua rode some of his first amusement park rides. It was very exciting and Joshua really had a blast (but I think Grammy was a bit more excited). Also, about a week ago, Joshua called John's dad Pa-pa all on his own, so now we are calling him pa-pa. I'm tired cause we just got home so this is only a quick update so I could load some pictures for all of Joshua's fans!

Another sign that Joshua is growing up....

Joshua can now even hold onto the big swings at the park - it's just soo sooo soooo cute to see his little legs hanging off the edge of the seat and him holding on. He isn't fantastic at it yet...but he is trying. What a big boy!!

He also doesn't quite understand that not ALL balls can fit in the basketball hoop...hmmm..

New Videos!!

My little boy is growing up again...sigh***. As of this weekend, he no longer uses his highchair. Now he is sitting at the table like a big boy in his little booster seat. SOO precious! He also doesn't even need a mat in the bath any more. Man, they grow so fast.

His other new little thing is to "tickle" us. Of course, we have to fake laugh which he thinks is hilarious. But he will lift up our shirts too to get to our bellies to tickle us.

I'm sure I've mentioned this before...but Joshua is OBSESSED with balls. The problem is...he doesn't really have anything to do with them but carry them around. So this weekend we decided to get him a mini-basketball goal. He LOVES it. He puts ANY ball in the hoop over and over and over and over and over again. It just never gets old. We will see if one day he ends up being a sport lover!

Okay now for some new videos so you can see how fast Joshua really is!! These were taken tonight.



This one is of him saying a few words before being on the run again...

Chicken Enchilada Dip

SOOOO yummy... and if you eat it standing up there are no calories!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) jar mayonnaise
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place chicken breast halves on a medium baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, or until no longer pink. Remove from heat, cool and shred. Place shredded chicken in a medium bowl, and mix in cream cheese, mayonnaise, Cheddar cheese, green chile peppers and jalapeno pepper. Transfer the chicken mixture to a medium baking dish. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Our friends Sue & Evan had a fun fourth of July party at their house yesterday. Of course, John was the biggest kid in attendance - but everyone had a great time. We played badminton but couldn't beat little Evan the 6 year old badminton king. We launched rockets, played in the pool, went down a zip line, and ate lots of yummy food. Then, after being completely wiped out - we came home and John & I were asleep by 9pm. John also finally finished cleaning out the garage yesterday while I showed houses so he can finally get his car back in there. Hooray!! Joshua's teething pain seems to be a little better and he continues to learn more and more. He tries to repeat everything we say lately - or at least the key words - although they don't always sound completely right. He likes to say the word blueberry now - which is his new favorite fruit but it comes out 'boo-bear'. He has also been really interested in trying new foods which is fantastic because it's really hard to go anywhere when he is so limited on food choices. But he seems to always want to try what we are eating now even if he ends up spitting it out...I'm glad he is trying.

Zoo/Museum Pics

Joshua & his buddy Zach at the Natural Science Museum where they just added a new fancy zoo. Aren't the tigers cool?

Been busy..

I've been trying to post a new message but have been pretty busy lately. Last Sunday we went to Music in the Park with some friends which is a local event that they do every Sunday night through the summer. The pictures on here are from John playing catch with our friends kids at the back of where the music is being played. THey also had a great time putting Joshua's fake snake in the grass to see if they could scare people as they walked by. I taught vacation bible school at our church all week and was late almost every day as I tried to get back in the routine of getting Joshua fed, dressed, and out the door. He really enjoyed hanging out in the nursery with the other kids. Thursday, my college roommate, Aimee came into town with her family so we went to the pool and had dinner with them. (I'll post pictures from that once she sends them to me since she is quite the photographer.) It's funny cause I was so afraid I would not have anything to do all summer since most of my activities take a hiatus over the summer but I've been quite busy - which is good.

John still cannot park in the garage cause it's still filled with my mom's stuff that we have to take care of. I was very motivated right after her death and now it's all just been sitting there for weeks. So that is on my very long to do list.

We have a few cook outs to attend this coming week which should be lots of fun and will probably go downtown on Wednesday since they have quite a few 4th of July celebrations. Other than all that....I really don't know very much. I'm sure Joshua is doing all sorts of new adorable things but I can't think of one to specifically tell you...but I'll keep thinking and see if I can't come up with one. :)

A staggering figure...

$379,000 - the cost of my mother's 8 day hospital stay! I figured it would be a lot - but to see that figure..is astounding! My mother's portion of the bill would have only been $5,070. Thank God for insurance! But that also tells you why insurance is SOO expensive.

Baaa...ooon

I think I've mentioned that Joshua's FAVORITE word to say is now Balloon...said baaa...oooon. Well now everything in the sky is a baaa..ooon. We could see the moon last night on our walk and he was saying, "baa..ooon, baa..oon" and we were saying, "moooon, moooon" and he would repeat back, "baa..ooon, baa..oon" as if - that is what I've been saying! But if you ask him more specifically, "where is the moon?" - he will point right at it...it's like he knows the difference but yet everything comes out of his mouth lately as "baa..ooon". Anywho, he has been babbling NON-STOP lately. As if really having conversations and talking about stuff. So I wouldn't be surprised if in a month or two those babbles turned into lots of words. He can already say about 15 words but his babble has really picked up. The other thing that Joshua likes to do is ask us what EVERYTHING is. He will point to every object he sees and say, "This?" or "that?" very quizzically. Anyways, then we tell him what it is and he points to the next object, "This?". It's like a baby version of "why?".

Riley continues to be Joshua's play pal. It really makes me feel like we need to get a brother or sister for Joshua-- which ever since my mother died has been even heavier on my heart and mind. It's something I definitely want to start aiming for saving money when we can so we can adopt #2. We will see what God has in store for us but my heart is really leading me lately to get on the ball about #2. Anyways, I've added some cute pics of Joshua & Riley. Riley is SOOO patient with Joshua. Joshua literally bounces on top of Riley as if he was a horse....it's cute and so sweet how good Riley is with him. They also are quite good at sharing balls with one another. Joshua will throw it at Riley and Riley will catch it then drop it for Joshua to throw again.

Ok...one more thing...Joshua is absolutely obsessed with balls. He use to call balls ..baamms. But now he calls them, "ball, balls". He must always say the word twice. He can carry like 3 or 4 of them in his arms. We have a gazillion of them it seems. And he can throw a ball REALLY well. Future football star...I doubt it unless he grows quite a bit - but maybe baseball? Who knows!

We're back...

We just got back from the beach and we had a really great time. We rented bikes and rode all over Hilton Head which was LOTS of fun. We tried to keep our eyes out for alligators and only saw two. But we did see TONS of dolphins. Hilton Head is swamped with them. We could not go near the beach without sighting them. One evening while we were strolling the beach a dolphin execursion was just off the beach where we were and there were dolphins all over the boat. They were like 25 feet from us. It was pretty cool. We also enjoyed lots of time in the ocean and playing on the sand. Joshua liked it when the waves would crash into him. He also loved going up to all the other kids on the beach and stealing their sand toys. He didn't quite understand that they weren't all for him. You would have thought we didn't bring him any of his own toys - but somehow they weren't as cool as all the other toys. WHile we were there my brother also remarried his ex-wife, our nieces mom - so that was really nice to get to be a part of. Well, that is the update for now...enjoy the pics!

A few quick things...

We got a gift certificate to a pretty nice restaurant and decided to go there with our friends, Kitty & Vinnie on Monday night. We had a really nice time...and had a celebrity sighting. At the table next to us was Richard Petty from Nascar. Again, we are not Nascar fans but somehow we continue to have run ins. I really only know him from the Goody headache commercials...but still a tiny bit exciting. We also tried out a new babysitter - which I LOVED! So I'm really thrilled to have someone that I trust (I've known her mom for years) and she is only 15 so I have a few years before she will be off to college and she lives down the street...all so perfect & convenient.

I also found this and though you would enjoy....so please go look..it's rather charming...
CLICK HERE

And now, off to bed to wake up and drive to the beach..wahoo. :)

Busy, Busy...

We've had a busy weekend so far. I think I mentioned that a friend of ours gave us their old play set...so we have been busy getting it set up and fixed up. Friday, while Joshua napped, I pressure washed it, then yesterday we started staining it, continued staining it today and started putting it together. I still haven't finished staining yet but it's looking very nice. We also have a pirates wheel to add and a roof/tarp once I finish the staining. Joshua got to swing in it for the first time today and had an absolute blast.

Yesterday we also went to the IAC picnic which was fun. It was SOOOOOOOOO hot though. Joshua went on his first carousel ride which went pretty darn fast! I was really surprised how fast that little sucker went. The carousel is in the part and was built in 1911...so it's a pretty cool old ride. They also had a magician for the kids so all the big kids sat around to watch him and of course, Joshua wanted to be with the big kids to he got right in the middle of them. It was cute...until...he started whapping one of them on the head with his Frisbee. I think his dad taught him that. After the hot day we also went swimming and are planning to go swimming again today once Joshua wakes up.

I'm still having a super hard time with the loss of my mom...sometimes I wonder if the sadness will ever go away. I'm am so thankful for my two silly guys who can at least bring a smile to my face though I had no idea how incredibly hard a loss like this could be. I'm also learning that a very sudden & unexpected loss like this brings on a whole slew of other emotions that are sometimes so completely overwhelming, that I'm extra thankful to have a great husband who is putting up with my crazy moodswings. Anyways, that is the quick update for now. Check out our shutterfly account for more pics.

A few updates...

Joshua has found something new and fun to do...climb into his toy box. He is doing it pretty regularly lately and especially loves to dump the toys out, climb in, then put the toys back in on top of himself. He is picking up quite a few words lately and it's so random. Just tonight he walked over to John and grabbed his nose and said 'nose' as plain as day.

Today I decided to cut all my hair off, well, I've actually been thinking of doing it for a while...so I just went ahead and did it. She took 6 inches off and was a little scared I think to do it cause I think she thought I might freak out or something. Anywho, I really like it and hopefully this will mean I won't have to wear it in a ponytail everyday! Here's a pic - warning I'm not wearing any make-up and it's a self portrait so not the greatest.

Kindermusik Pictures

Every Wednesday Joshua and I go to Kindermusik. He absolutely loves it and I HIGHLY recommend it! Here are some pictures of one of our classes. As you can see in the one picture, we were trying to get all our kids to sit with our teacher Ms. Julie - but it was quite a task.

A gazillion posts...and weight update...

I know I'm posting a lot but I had a lot to say all of a sudden. Anyways, I meant to update everyone on Joshua's weight issues...I'm pretty sure I haven't done that yet. ANyways, we went to the doctor last Monday and he FINALLY gained some weight. It wasn't a lot - a couple of ounces...but enough that the doctor "called off the dogs" so to speak. We have to go for another weight check in 6 weeks but hopefully his new diet is doing the trick. Yay!

Two Great Recipes...

We have been blessed by the most amazing people who have continued to care for our family during my mom's death. During that time, we've also had people bring us some absolutely AMAZING food....so I asked for a few of the recipes...and figured I would share with the generosity that so many have shown us.

Rhonda's Eggplant Parmesan

1-2 large eggs (depending on the size of the eggplant)
1 TBS water
1-2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (depending on size of eggplant)
1 large eggplant, peeled & cut into slices
3–4 TBS olive oil
4 oz. bag grated parmesan cheese
8 oz. bag grated mozzarella cheese
1 jar pasta sauce

Whisk together egg(s) and water until blended. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture and then dredge in breadcrumbs. Cook eggplant in olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat 4 min. per side or until tender. Arrange ½ of eggplant in a single layer in a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle with some of both cheeses. Repeat layer. Pour pasta sauce over top and bake covered at 375 for 35 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Michele's BAKED SPAGHETTI

1 CUP CHOPPED ONION
1 CUP CHOPPED GREEN PEPPER
1 TBSP BUTTER
1 (28 OZ) CAN TOMATOES
1 (4 OZ) CAN MUSHROOMS
1 (2 ¼ OZ) CAN OLIVES
2 TSP DRIED OREGANO
1 LB GROUND BEEF (80/20) BROWNED & DRAINED
12-16 OZ SPAGHETTI, COOKED & DRAINED
2 CUPS SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE
1 CAN CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP
¼ CUP WATER
¼ CUP PARMESAN

Saute green pepper and onion in pepper till tender. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and oregano. Add ground beef and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Place half of the drained spaghetti in a greased 9x13x2-inch baking dish. Top with half the tomato meat sauce. Sprinke with one cup cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Mix the soup and water till smooth. Pour over the casserole. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.